No Cheat in Bleach ? Watch me help Aizen then.-Chapter 71: A Rare Picnic in the Living World

"Soifon! You pitched the tent backwards!!"

A rare break from the chaos. Higashi Shuuichi had brought Ichimaru Gin, Kisaragi Shuusuke, Matsumoto Rangiku, and Soifon out for a picnic in the Living World.

He sat alone atop a stone on the hillside, calmly gazing out over the skyline of a city steadily approaching modern urbanization. A breath of serenity.

Behind him, Rangiku stood with hands on hips, commanding the other three with the force of a camp general. No matter how gifted the others were in battle, when it came to cooking outdoors, even the three of them combined couldn't match her.

The situation in Soul Society had begun to settle. Half a year had passed. Aside from Hōzukimaru Rōjūrō being promoted from Third Division vice-captain to full captain, the Tenth Division's captain seat still remained vacant.

Not for lack of capable candidates. Shuuichi himself could take the post. So could Urahara Kisuke, seated Third in Second Division; or Sasakibe Chōjirō, First Division's vice-captain; or even Fifth Division's vice-captain, Aizen Sōsuke.

But each had their own disqualifying reason.

In Shuuichi's case, Unohana Retsu wouldn't allow him out of her sight.

Aizen? Same reason.

Urahara and Sasakibe, meanwhile, both plainly stated they weren't interested.

And so, for once, a captain's seat in the Gotei 13 remained conspicuously empty.

Meanwhile, Urahara—whom Shuuichi kept under close observation—had been doggedly investigating the Kasawagi Clan's Hollowfication research.

Shuuichi was dying for Aizen to step up and launch the Hollowfication experiment project already, anything to push Urahara off the board.

But Aizen had been maddeningly chill about it.

"I know you're in a rush," he'd said, "but don't rush."

What Aizen cared about wasn't Urahara's investigation into Shuuichi—it was the rumored incomplete Hōgyoku in Urahara's possession.

Rumored, because even Aizen hadn't confirmed it. All he had were vague references from the Grand Archive suggesting Urahara might have successfully created one.

But he'd never seen it. Never verified it.

Urahara was too cautious. He'd never given Aizen even a crack in the door.

So even though Aizen had successfully placed Urahara under Kyōka Suigetsu's influence, he still hadn't made a move.

Because he knew—with Urahara's intellect—he would only ever get one shot.

And if that shot failed, if Urahara so much as suspected something, it'd be game over.

So unless he could guarantee that Urahara would be forced to use the Hōgyoku, Aizen wouldn't strike.

That kind of setup? Extremely delicate. Borderline wishful thinking.

Shuuichi had no clue what Aizen was planning to trigger such an event. But he had no better options of his own.

All he could do was have Rangiku help him discreetly relocate the civilians from East Rukongai's 62nd District—piece by piece erasing his old trail.

A frustrating feeling.

Which was part of why he'd chosen this moment for a visit to the Living World.

Just to breathe.

"Shuuichi-sama! Beef skewers are ready! Come eat~!"

From behind, Rangiku waved enthusiastically at him, her... assets... jiggling with the motion.

"Got it!"

He replied with a small smile and turned his gaze away from the cityscape.

Hard to believe how far this world had already come.

The First Industrial Revolution had ended; the Second was now in full bloom across the globe.

It wouldn't be long before smartphones hit the shelves, before he could play actual video games again.

Shuuichi found himself fantasizing about the future.

This... this was his original dream when he first transmigrated.

What was so great about being a Shinigami?

He could come here. Plagiarize modern literature. Play the stock market. Traffic arms if needed. Live out dreams his past self never dared imagine.

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So much better than licking blood off a Zanpakutō every day just to survive.

"Long road ahead, comrade," he muttered to himself with a wry grin.

"You seem to really like the Living World, Shuuichi-sama?" Rangiku asked as she handed him the first grilled skewer, curiosity in her eyes.

"Yeah, I do," Shuuichi admitted. "Don't you think it's a lot more interesting than the dull monotony of Soul Society?"

Rangiku nodded vigorously. "Wherever Shuuichi-sama is, that's where I want to be~"

Soifon chimed in coldly: "If Shuuichi-sama says the Living World is interesting, then it must be."

Shuusuke: "Same here."

Gin, soft smile: "I agree with Rangiku."

"...Useless replies," Shuuichi muttered under his breath.

Then he turned to Shuusuke with a frown. "And you—I gave you Romance of the Three Kingdoms to study tactics, not to pick up everyone's speech habits."

"Yes, Shuuichi-sama..."

Shuusuke scratched his head, thankful at least he hadn't blurted out "Brother!" just now.

But those peach garden oaths in the book really were... kinda inspiring.

Shuuichi sighed and sat on the ground, too lazy to argue further about what Shuusuke had or hadn't learned.

He had invested a lot into training Shuusuke. After all, the boy was his chosen heir for the Bakuyōtō: Raika.

And Raika—after devouring so many Bakuyōtō cores—had evolved into something even Shuuichi no longer fully understood.

The core of a Bakuyōtō required a Shinigami of at least sixth-grade reiryoku to craft.

The finest cores? Made from souls of at least third-grade reiryoku.

Only an ancient noble house like the Kasawagi could afford to do that.

If Raika had absorbed enough top-tier cores to ascend into that realm...

Well, he wouldn't be surprised. After all, even the Hōgyoku itself was just the fusion of countless Shinigami souls.

Shuuichi simply didn't want to sacrifice his own Zanpakutō—and didn't know if he could resist Raika's soul corrosion.

Otherwise, he'd have used it himself by now.

Meanwhile, far away—on a remote island in the middle of the ocean in the Living World—a tear split the air.

A pitch-black, tuning fork-shaped head slowly poked through from the other side.